In front of a reported crowd of 23,502, the Iowa Hawkeyes held their final practice of the spring inside Kinnick Stadium.

The day included warm-ups, group drills, situational drills, and concluded with two 15-minute periods of live contact.

Two highlights from the scrimmage portion came in its early stages. On the second play, a mishandled snap by center James Ferentz and quarterback James Vandenberg was recovered and taken 41 yards for a touchdown by linebacker Troy Johnson.

Later in the first period, wide receiver Don Nordmann made a spectacular catch on a throw from quarterback John Wienke along the sideline, and being able to get a foot inbounds.

Although running back Jewel Hampton did not compete in any of the situational drills or the scrimmage, the redshirt sophomore did participate in the early portions of the afternoon. He was the only player in a red jersey.

One injury occurred during the scrimmage when running back Brad Rogers suffered what head coach Kirk Ferentz called afterwards “a mild sprain.” Taking over the bulk of the running back duties was sophomore Jason White, who is listed on the Iowa roster as a defensive back.

The Hawkeyes return to the field for fall camp in August, and open the 2010 season at home against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 4.

Be sure to visit dailyiowan.com throughout the week for football coverage, featuring a 5-part series on the 2010 Iowa Hawkeyes, as well as some Iowa insight on the upcoming 2010 NFL Draft.

— by Brendan Stiles